Manifold construction for internal-combustion engines



April 12,1927. Y 1,621,229

H. FORD MANIFOLD CONSTRUCTION FOR INTERNAL OOMBUSTION ENGINES OriginalFiled Aug. 2. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 12,1927.

H. FORD MANIFOLD CONSTRUCTION FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES iginalFiled Ausf. 2. 1920 2 Shet's-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 12, 192.7.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY FORD, 0F DEARBORN, MICHIGAN.

MANIFOLD CONSTRUCTION FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

vOriginal application led August 2, 1920, Serial No. 400,638. y:Dividedand this application led September 21, 1922. Serial No. 589,536.

This invention relates to improvements in manifold construction forinternal combustion engines, being a division of the application filedby me August 2, 1920, Serial N o. 400,638.

While the present invention is applicable for use in connection withengines of a general type, it is particularly adapted for use with theengine more particularly described in the said parent application,wherein two circular series of cylinders are arranged side by side, withthe cylinders of a series symmetrically disposed relative t0 verticaland horizontal planes which extend through the crank shaft axis with theplanes extending in the direction of length of such axis, the cylindersbeing arranged in such manner as to locate a pair ofcylinders above anda pair of cylinders below the horizontal plane and a pair on each sideof the vertical plane, the cylinders beingy preferably arranged atangles to suchv A planes in such manner as to practically bisect theangles between the planes.

The manifold construction with an engine of this type is designed toserve similarly positioned'pairs of the cylinders of both series, themanifold structures being duplicated for the second pairs.

Iii the embodiment illustrated herein, the manifold structure for a setof pairs is shown as located to serve 4the cylinders on one side of thevertical plane, the structure being mounted between the upper and lowercylinders of such pairs, thus serving onehalf of the cylinders of theengine. It will be obvious, of course, that, so far as the presentinvention is concerned, the manifold structure or formation may beapplied so as to serve the cylinders at one side of the horizontalplane, thus placing it between the upper pairs of the two series.

The invention has forits general object the provision of a manifoldstructure or formation of a simple type readily produced and installed,and which is effective to provide a structure of high efficiency.

Anotherobject is to provide a formation of this type in which theseveral cylinders served by the formation will be pro erly served, andat the same time provi e an arrangement by which the distance traveledby the fuel--in connection with the intake or the exhaust gases-inconnection with the exhaust-will be substantially the same iu employedconnection with each of the cylinders served by the formation. That is7the distance traveled by the fuel from the intake portion of themanifold to the cylinder will be substantially the same for each of thecylinders served by the formation; this is true also with respect to thedistance traveled by the exhaust gases. However, the distance traveledby the fuel may vary from that traveled by the exhaust gases. thedrawings showing this distance as practically the same.

To these and other ends, therefore, the nature of which will be readilyunderstood as the invention is hereinafter disclosed, said inventionconsists in the improved construction and combination of parts,hereinafter moreI fully described, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, and more pai'- ticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, iiiwhich similar reference charactersindicate similar parts in each of the views,

Figure l is a detail sectional view taken through one of the manifoldstructures or formations, illustrating the manner in which the inlet andexhaust conduits are connected up with the pairs of cylinders served bythe formation.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view of the structure of Fig. 2, the view being in endelevation and looking toward the right iii Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a View showing a pair of iii-.inifold formations mounted inproper position relative to an engine structure such as is ydisclosed inthe parent application, the engine being shown in outline and withoutthe operating parts, the View being designed to illustrate the manner inwhich the 'manifold structure is mounted, the View Showing the manifoldstructure in section taken on lines substantially at right angles to thesection shown in Fig. 1.

Referring first to Fig. 4, 26 designates a cylinder having a headportion 28 extended laterally to provide an enlarged portion 28a intowhich the-connections from the manifold are designed to deliver a chargefor the cylinder, and .from which connections deliver the exhaust gasesfrom the cylinder to the exhaust portion of the manifold, thecontrol tothese connections being provided by inlet and exhaust valves of suitabletype and which control the entrance to or discharge from the enlargedportion of the head. Each head is provided with a channel 28b for theintake and a channel 28,for the exhaust, these channels extendinggenerally, in the embodiment shown, in a vertical direction, the innerends being arranged to carry these to the yplane of the vouter ends ofthe cylinder body, the particulararrangement shown in the parentapplication setting up a curved inner end to thechannel, thus permittingthe valve Seats to be so located as to permit the valves to operate indirections such as not to effect the manifold formation. u

By extending channels 28b and 28c in a general vertca direction, withthe outer ends of these channels facing eachother from a n upper and alower cylinder respectively, 1t is possible-to mount a manifoldstructure or formation intermediate such channel ends, thus making itpossible vto use a single manifold structure from the four cylinderslocated at one side of a vertical plane extending through the crankshaft axis.

As shown in Fig. 4, the manifold structures are substantiallyduplicates.

'lhe particularly embodiment of manifold used for the purpose ofillustrating the invent-ion is shown as in the form of a casting 46y(Fig. 2) provided with an exhaust chamber 47 and an intake chamber 48,the latter having a suitable passageway 48a leading thereto and which isconnected. lup with the carbureter structure or structures, the

exhaust chamber having an outlet 47L leading to a suitable point, suchfor instance as a muffler, not shovvn As shown in Figa l, 2 and 3, themajor portion of the walls of chamber 48 are exposed Within chamber 47so that the Walls of the intake chamber are practically bathed with theexhaust gases, thus primarily heating the intake prior to the deliveryof the charge to the cylinder.

Fig. l shows the manner in'which the manifold can be connected up to thelateral extension 28"t of head 28, it being seen that intake channels28b are the intermediate channels leading into chamber 48 by theconnections 49, the exhaust' channels 28C being the' outer channels andleading into chamber 47, similar connections 49 being provided.

As Willbe seen, all of the intakes for the four cylinders are ofsubstantially the same length as are the exhaust connections, so thatthere is practically a uniformity Within the manifold, this latter beingespecially true in connection with the particular type of engine beingserved in Which the firing sequence is such as to set up conditions ofgeneral uniformity Within both the intake and the exhaust portions ofthe manifold.

It will be seen, from Figs. l and 4, that the exhaust from one pair ofcylinders is delivered into the manifold in direction opposite that ofthe other pair of cylinders being served by the manifold. Thepossibility of the exhaust gases from one cylinder being delivered intothe connections from the cylinder on the opposite side of the horizontalplane is avoided' by arranging the `connections in such manner that theopposing exhaust connectionsl are offset relative to each other, so thatthe delivery ends of these connections face a Wall of the manifold.While the same difficulty is not present with respect to the intake, thesame general Aoffset arrangement is employed, so that the serviceconnections for each cylinder are properly and symmetrically arrangedwith respect to the cylinderformation, the structure, at the Y sametime, providing for this general equality in distance traveled bythefuel orthe gases. Y

As Will be seen, the arrangement is oneof simplicity, connections 49being similar, the

casting 46 being the more rless special con-v struction of theformation. Since the connectionsare connected up tothe manifold bysuitable and vvell vknown structures such as glands, it will be readilyunderstood that the casting can be readily fashioned, the

complete formation being readily assembled `to produce the tight-.jointeffect that is desirable with this type of apparatus.

W'liile I have herein shown and described an illustrative embodiment ofthe present.

v or scope of the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims whenbroadly construed.

Having thus described myy invention, what I claim as' new is:

l. A manifold struct-ure adapted forinternal combustion motors whereinthe cylinders served by the structure are spaced apart with the manifoldstruc-ture located therebetween, a casing having an intake chamber andan exhaust chamber elongated in the direction of length of the casingand of the crank shaft of the motor, an admission port for the intakechamber and an outlet port for the exhaust chamber, said chambers andports being permanently positioned relatively one to the other With thechamber and its corresponding port in permanently open' communication,said casing also carrying service ports leading in opposite directionsfrom and in directions lateral of the direction of length of saidchamber and adapted to be connected in permanently-open communicationwith the corresponding ports oi. the

-cylinders being served, the service ports being located intermediatethe ends of the chamber and arranged in a succession in which the intakeand exhaust ports for 4a cylinder are located side by side to permitsyimnetrical connectionA of service connections between the ports andcylinder with the connections extending in substantial parallelism.

2. A manifold structure adapted for internal combustion motors whereinthe cylinders served by the structure are spaced apart with the manifoldstructurelocated therebetween, a casing having an intake chamber/and anexhaust chamber elongated in the direction of length of the casing andof the crank shaft of the motor, an admission port. for the intakechamber and an outlet poi-t for the exhaust chamber, said chambers andports being permanently positioned relatively one to the other with thechamber and its corresponding port in permanently open communication,said casing. also carrying service ports leading in opposite directionsfrom and in directions lateral of the direction of length of saidchamber and adapted to be connected in permanently-open communicationwith the corresponding ports of the cylinders being served, the axes ofsaid service ports lying in the same plane, the service portsbeinglocated intermediate the ends of the chamber and arranged in asuccession in which the intake and exhaust ports for a cylinderarelocated side by side to permit symmetrical connection of serviceconnections between the ports and cylinder with v the connectionsextending in substantial parallelism.

3. A manifold structure adapted forin.

Y crank shaft of the motor, an admission port for the intake chamber andan outlet port for the exhaust chamber, said chambers and ports beingpermanently positioned relatively one to the other with the vchamber andits correspondlng port 1n permanently open communication, said casingalso carrying yservice ports leading in opposite directions from and indirections lateral of the direction of. length of said chamber andadapted to be connected in permanently-open communication with thecorresponding ports ot' the cylinders being served, the axes of saidservice ports lying in the same plane, with the ports on one side offsetwith respect to the ports of the oppositev side, the service ports beinglocated intermediate the ends of the chamber and arranged in asuccession in which the intakel'and exhaust ports for a cylinder arelocated side by side to permit symmetrical connection of serviceconnections between the ports and cylinder with the connectionsextending in substantial parallelism.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

HENRY FORD.

